Not applicable.
This invention relates to safety for firearms, specifically a device to securely block the chamber and barrel of a firearm to prevent its firing.
Children and other people are injured or killed by accidental shootings from loaded firearms which do not have preventative safety devices and which have been carelessly placed or stored where children can gain access to them. A recent publication estimated that 44 million Americans keep 65 million handguns in their homes.
Inventors and firearms manufacturers are working to develop and market xe2x80x9cPersonalized Smart Gunsxe2x80x9d, ones that only the owner can fire. Patented inventions disclose a wide variety of safety lock systems, including finger print recognition, radio control, and magnetic control. Gun owners are not enthusiastic about using smart guns, with batteries, electronics, and magnets, because of the added cost and their questionable reliability for functioning properly in emergency situations.
For existing firearms and those still being sold, numerous patented safety devices to childproof these firearms have been invented and some are now on the market. Most of these safety devices either prevent access to the trigger or prevent a cartridge from being chambered or fired.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,392,552 and 5,561,935 both issued to McCarthy are examples of the xe2x80x9cclam shellxe2x80x9d type trigger lock, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,341 issued to Cervantes is an example of xe2x80x9cblockxe2x80x9d type trigger lock. A variety of locks, including key, dial roller, combination, illuminated digital and etc. are used to prevent removal of trigger safety devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,476 issued to Hetrich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,753 issued to Bielman, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,971 issued to Chaney are examples of safety devices that have a dummy cartridge to block the chamber which is held in place by a key controlled barrel rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,294 issued to Knopp, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,099 issued to Mathew, U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,144 issued to Thurber, U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,854 issued to Derman, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,211 issued to Hepp are examples of safety devices which block the barrel and cartridge chamber by use of rods and rod removal keys, etc.
One concern about trigger locks and blocks is that a careless gun owner will leave a live cartridge in the chamber of the gun and a child might cock the hammer into its firing position. The child might then continue to monkey around the trigger or drop the gun possibly causing it to fire. Also, gun owners are concerned with the effects gun locks have on their sense of security. Today""s locks are mechanical devices requiring keys, combinations, etc., things that a person might not easily remember or locate in the middle of the night during an emergency situation.
The barrel block safety devices that attach to a dummy cartridge in the chamber assure that a live cartridge can not be chambered and fired. Generally a key rod fastens and unfastens the barrel block from the dummy cartridge. The amount of time required to find and use the key rod to remove the block from the gun barrel, remove the dummy cartridge and load the gun is of great concern to the gun owner.
The barrel block safety devices that go through the barrel and enter the dummy cartridge are locked in place by various means to prevent chambering a live cartridge. All have a removal system using a key rod, a cable, or a digital padlock, which causes an unacceptable delay for the gun owner.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,615, for a child resistant container and safety closure, has provided background technology for an alternate embodiment of the invention.
The present invention is a firearm safety device for handguns and is designed to prevent accidental firing of a gun. The gun can not contain a live cartridge in the firing chamber with the safety device in position; however, the safety device can be removed quickly, even in the dark, by following a proper removal procedure which is childproof.
The safety device includes a lock sleeve with an expandable end plug, which is inserted through the muzzle of a gun barrel. With the end plug positioned in the firing chamber, a lock rod is inserted into the lock sleeve to force expansion of the linear slotted end plug sufficiently to prevent the safety device from being removed from the barrel. Withdrawal of the lock rod from the lock sleeve to allow removal of the safety device is prevented by a knurled cap, which is threadedly attached to a knurled enlarged end portion of the lock sleeve. Since the safety device is able to rotate freely in its assembled position in the gun, any attempt to unscrew the knurled cap without holding the knurled enlarged end portion of the lock sleeve stationary will be unsuccessful. A child will not be able to remove the knurled cap since he or she will hold the gun in one hand while fiddling with the knurled cap with the other hand.
It is an object of my invention to provide a firearm safety device which may be easily applied to any handgun to prevent its firing by children and also be easily and quickly removed by the owner for emergency or other use.
It is also an object of my invention to provide a firearm safety device which, when positioned in a handgun, prevents a cartridge being in the firing chamber. Many other firearm safety devices such as clam shell type trigger guards, barrel locks, and trigger blocks are not designed to prevent a cartridge from being in the firing chamber. It is an accepted fact that dropping a loaded gun can sometimes result in its discharge.
Another object of my invention is to provide such a firearm safety device which is installable and removable entirely from the muzzle end of a gun barrel, without any scratching or other damage to the firearm.
Yet another object of my invention is to provide a firearm safety device of simple, rugged construction and with a high reliability of working properly.
Still another object of my invention is to provide a firearm safety device made of tough plastic material which can be inexpensively molded using current production machines and techniques.
A further object of my invention is to provide a firearm safety device which is childproof but can be removed from a firearm by an adult in 5 to 10 seconds, in pitch darkness using only a small physical force.
Another object of my invention is to provide a firearm safety device that when positioned in a handgun will extend out of the muzzle of the gun barrel as an indication that the firearm safety device is positioned within the handgun.
Still another object of my invention is to provide a firearm safety device which is adapted to be used with handguns of various types, i.e. revolver, semiautomatic and others and adapted to all different calibre handguns with different length barrels.
It is also an object of my invention to provide a firearm safety device which, in addition to being childproof, includes a secondary security system to prevent firing by unauthorized older children and adults.